President Trump, European leaders shape goals on call ahead of summit with Putin

European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, huddled with President Trump on a video conference meeting Wednesday to discuss ceasefire basics ahead of Mr. Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska.

Mr. Trump, during a press conference Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, said that Russia would face “consequences” if Mr. Putin does not agree to stop the war after they meet on Friday. He also described his call earlier in the day with the European leaders as “very friendly.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the discussion as “constructive and good,” but Mr. Zelenskyy warned that Mr. Putin is “trying to apply pressure … on all sectors of the Ukrainian front” in an attempt to show that Russia is “capable of occupying all of Ukraine.”

According to CNN, Mr. Zelenskyy said after the meeting that “there should be a ceasefire first, then security guarantees — real security guarantees” and that Mr. Trump “expressed his support.”

Mr. Trump agreed with the European leaders that Ukraine must be part of any talks related to land yields to end the war, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

“Territorial questions that fall under Ukraine’s authority cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the president of Ukraine,” Mr. Macron said.

Mr. Trump said on Monday that a peace settlement would require “land swapping” by Ukraine and Russia.

Mr. Macron also suggested Mr. Trump will “seek a future trilateral meeting” with the Ukrainian and Russian presidents.

“I think that’s a very important point in this regard. And we hope that it can be held in Europe, in a neutral country that is acceptable to all parties,” Mr. Macron said.

Mr. Trump said he will call Mr. Zelensky after the summit with the Russian leader, and then he will call the other European leaders.

“There’s a very good chance that we’re going to have a second meeting, which will be more productive than the first, because the first is [where] I’m going to find out where we are and what we’re doing,” Mr. Trump told reporters.

If Friday’s summit goes well, a second meeting should happen “almost immediately” between himself, Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelensky.

“It’s going to be a very important meeting, but it’s setting the table for the second meeting,” he said of the summit on Friday.

He also cautioned that there may not be a second meeting to hash out a ceasefire.

“There may be no second meeting, because if I feel that it’s not appropriate to have it, because I didn’t get the answers that we have to have, then we’re not going to have a second,” Mr. Trump said.

• This story is based in part on wire service reports.